


A Break Does Exactly What it Says on the Tin

by potter_loves_malfoy



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Angst, F/F, Post-breakup, Quidditch Player Ginny Weasley, break ups, break-up angst withOUT a happy ending, idk if I'd call it necessarily unhappy though
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-16
Updated: 2019-11-16
Packaged: 2021-01-31 15:01:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,176
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21448111
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/potter_loves_malfoy/pseuds/potter_loves_malfoy
Summary: “You deserve better than this.”The five words echoed in Ginny’s head as they had been since Pansy first uttered them to her over the Floo two days ago.
Relationships: Pansy Parkinson/Ginny Weasley
Comments: 5
Kudos: 18





	A Break Does Exactly What it Says on the Tin

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks [Chris](https://archiveofourown.org/users/keyflight790) for the beta and for your support <3
> 
> Title from Sick of Losing Soulmates by Dodie

_“You deserve better than this.”_

The five words echoed in Ginny’s head as they had been since Pansy first uttered them to her over the Floo two days ago. 

_“It’s unfair to you to make you hide our relationship because I’m afraid of the repercussions,” _she’d said. _“I’m trying, but I still don’t know when I’ll be truly ready and you deserve better than to wait for me.”_

_“But I already told you so many times that I’m okay with waiting for as long as you need. You could say that you’re never going to be ready to go fully public and I would still be happy I get to be with you.”_

_“I know you say that, but it still makes me feel guilty because I know you shouldn’t need to hide. That’s also why I’ve been so distant lately, because every time you owl it reminds me of how I can’t give you everything you need.”_

_“What if you’re everything I need?”_ Ginny had been surprised at how she wasn’t crying. She’d thought she’d start crying the moment she heard Pansy’s voice, saw her face. She was crying now, sitting in on the Harpies practice. Gwenog had taken one look at her and sent her over to the benches, saying that she was in no shape to fly. 

Pansy had shaken her head and solemnly said _“I know I’m not. Not when I’m like this.”_

_“Well, you’re not doing me a favour by doing this, Pans, it’s not like I’m gonna move on from you and start dating another Quidditch player that loves to be in the spotlight.”_ Ginny had continued when Pansy stayed silent. _“I still love you.”_

_“I love you too,”_ her voice had been quiet but Ginny had no trouble hearing the words, even with the floo crackling by her ears. That had been the first time Pansy said I love you in weeks and Ginny had been happy for a split second before remembering everything that’s going on. 

_“Then this is bollocks, Pans. I don’t want this, and you say it’s because I deserve better but you breaking up with me isn’t ‘better’. So, yeah, maybe I do deserve better but what you’re doing right now isn’t it. My ideal ‘better’ is a Pansy that doesn’t shut me out because she’s feeling guilty for making me wait for her to be ready. One that doesn’t feel guilty because she believes me when I say I’m okay with waiting.”_

_“That’s not me, Gin.”_

_“I don’t know, Pans, this entire thing is shite. I hate this. I’ll still take distant Pansy until she figures out that she doesn’t have to feel guilty for not being ready over nothing at all.”_

_“I’m sorry,”_ Pansy had said. She’d sounded so uncharacteristically small.

_“Is this going to help you?”_ Ginny had asked. _“Because that’s the only way I will accept this. Is being in a relationship too stressful while you’re also trying to figure yourself out?”_

_“Maybe? I don’t know, I think it might help.” _Pansy had said and Ginny wished that she’d lead with that instead of the ‘_you deserve better than this’_ crap. She was fine giving Pansy her space, but she’d never really asked for it, had she? Yeah, she’d shut Ginny out before when she wasn’t feeling well, but when Ginny had asked Pansy if she should just give Pansy a little more space and stop owling her even when she didn’t respond to them, she hadn’t really said yes. She hadn’t said no either. She’d just said sorry for being MIA. 

_“Well okay, just, let me know if it ends up not helping, I guess, because if it’s not helping you and it’s not helping me, we’re just suffering for nothing.” _

Pansy had apologised at least five more times, and they’d talked a little more, just how they normally would, and it had felt so good because they hadn’t talked like that recently. When it was time to go and they were saying goodbye, Ginny had debated saying “I love you,” again. But before she could even open her mouth to say it, Pansy had ended the call. Ginny had pulled her head out of the floo and had immediately collapsed on the floor, tears uncontrollably flowing down her face. 

Ginny had had trouble getting to sleep that night, thinking of all the things she didn’t think to say when they were talking over the Floo. She’d ended up writing Pansy three letters that were entirely too long but hadn’t owled them. She’d passed out around four in the morning, the red snake plushie Pansy’d gifted her on their second date all those months ago sitting on the pillow next to hers. When she’d woken up from her restless sleep, it was still all too dark outside. It wasn’t until later, when she was forcing herself to take small bites of a day-old croissant, that she noticed that her owl Medusa had taken the last letter she wrote to Pansy, as she’d made the mistake of addressing it to her. 

Her owl had gone unanswered.

Ginny’s thoughts were interrupted by a shrill whistle followed by Gwenog’s _Sonorus_’ed voice. “Okay, good work everyone, take a ten-minute break and we’ll end with a practice match. Weasley! Meet me in my office, please!”

Ginny sighed, wiping her tears and putting on a brave face. One advantage of being a professional Quidditch player constantly hounded by the press was that she’d become exceptional at hiding her emotions. 

“What’s going on, Weasley?” 

Ginny opened her mouth to speak but instead of saying anything coherent, she ended up choking on a sob. Gwenog immediately pulled her into a tight hug and hushed her comfortingly. “Go home, Ginny. We can talk about this later.”

“Okay,” Ginny said through tears.

Hours later, lying alone in her bed, surrounded by supportive owls she’d been ignoring from Harry, Hermione, Ron, Luna and even Draco Malfoy––though he was mainly just responding to Ginny’s owl to him earlier asking him to check on Pansy––Ginny made up her mind. 

Her mum had told her when Ginny owled her about the news while in tears, that the people in our lives are there to serve a purpose and they only leave once they’ve fulfilled that purpose. Ginny refused to believe that this was the end of her and Pansy. She hadn’t fulfilled her purpose in Ginny’s life yet. She couldn’t have. And Ginny didn’t think that she had done that for Pansy either. This would not be the end for them. Not like this.

Pansy was right. Ginny did deserve better than _this_. _This_ was unfair. They just disagreed on what _this_ was. 

Ginny deserved better than to be broken up with like this, under the pretence that this was for her sake, to be told what she needed, what she wanted. It was unfair to be treated like a child. She knew what it was that she wanted. What she needed. 

And she would do anything to get it back. 

**Author's Note:**

> This fic means a lot to me as it's definitely more of a personal piece than anything else I've written, writing this was a very cathartic experience and it's not super well thought out because it was mainly just me getting the words out there, but thanks to Chris it hopefully makes enough sense for everyone.


End file.
